Perilient
by NerdLogic
Summary: The Perilmontary curse is a feared thing. It develops within a person and gives them uncontrollable, deadly powers. It's also forms a darkness in the heart. If a Perilient is discovered, they're to be killed on sight, whether it's a hero who discovers it, or family. Wally West was raised to hate Perilients. Though what happens when he discovers that he may be one of them?
1. Chapter 1: The Curse

In Wally's opinion, the alarm clock was the most annoying thing ever known to mankind. He probably wasn't anywhere close to being alone on this opinion. He just felt as though his hatred was much more extravagant than the average teenage boy. It's not everyone who goes to bed at three o'clock in the morning after an extremely tiring mission, only to have to wake up three hours later.

Yet even though the alarm clock was a cursed and tear-bringing invention, it was needed. So when the ear bleeding alarm went off at 6:15 A.M. like it does every school morning, Wally was forced to listen. He stuck an arm out from underneath his comforter and blindly searched for the clock. He bandaged his hand around on everything until his fingers latched hold of the device. He hit the off button and to his relief, the blasted noise stopped.

Wally was very tempted to roll over and go back to sleep, but from past experience, he learned that it would only get him into trouble. So he shuffled around in his bed, still completely covered by blankets, bad he tried to awaken his limbs. Then, with a mighty effort, Wally sat up in his bed, making the comforter fall from his head. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. He smacked his mouth a little as he tried to get the odd morning taste out of his mouth.

Finally, once Wally felt that he had awoken enough, he swung his legs over the side of his bed. He flexed out his feet on the carpet below and pulled himself into standing position. His eyesight was blurry as the sleepy glaze fogged his vision. He stuck his hands out in front of him and stumbled his way around the room, searching for his dresser. He collided into the object with a thud.

This resulted in him falling backwards, which further ended with his slamming the back of his head on his bedside table. Wally groaned loudly in pain and rolled around on the floor, holding the spots on his front and back of the head where hurt himself. Though the odds weren't in his favor, Wally hoped it wouldn't leave a bruise. He already had enough of those from the mission last night.

Once the pain started to subside, Wally pulled himself off the floor to his knees. He pulled his top drawer open and pulled out a tattered black long sleeved shirt, then a pair of jeans from the drawer below it. He swapped his PJs out for these clothes. He put his pajamas in the laundry basket and headed downstairs.

He walked down the stairs very quickly, skipping every few steps, and walked into the kitchen where his mom was currently making breakfast. Wally raised an eyebrow at this action. His mother _never _made breakfast.

"What's the special occasion?" He asked as he walked up to his mother, who was cutting up strawberries. He reached over her shoulder and stole a berry from the pile, put it in his mouth, and started to retreat before his mother could do anything. His mother gave him a light smack on the head as punishment, but had a cheerful smile on her face as she did so.

"Hands to yourself, mister." She said, "As for the breakfast, in case you have forgotten, you have your yearly testing today."

Wally sighed as he remembered the announcements they had been having all week. Every year, once a year, the schools hold a free testing to see if any of the students had developed the Perilmontary curse. No one knows how one gets the curse, nor do they know how to remove it. They don't even know what the curse does to the person, only that it, according to the many Perilient attacks, it seems to form darkness in their heart. All they know is that those whose results are negative go on living life normally. Those who don't are never seen or heard from again.

"Oh yeah." Wally muttered, "I guess it slipped my mind."

"Well it's a good thing I remembered then. We wouldn't want you getting sick during the test because you took it on an empty stomach." She said and scooped the strawberries into a bowl. She walked over and placed it on the table that already had plates, cups, utensils, and a pile full of pancakes on it.

"Wally, could you grab the juice while you're up?" His mother asked as she sat down. Wally quickly obliged and took the orange juice out of fridge. He placed it on the table and took a seat. He glanced at the empty seat next to him.

"Where's dad?" He asked.

"He's already at your school." Wally raised his eyebrows, and his mother continued to explain. "They have a lot of newbies on the force this year, so they wanted them to come up yearly in order to give them a step by step rundown."

His father, Rudolph (Rudy) West, was a senior agent of the Perilient Removal and Containment Unit. Their job was what it sounded like. They removed any discovered people with the Perilmontary curse. On days where there are testings, they stay at the school with their weapons ready and wait for news of someone testing positive. After someone finishes the test, they wait in a room alone as the tester leaves to tell an official the results, whether it's positive or negative. That way the positives won't know that they are going to be taken away until it happens.

They began to eat, Wally eating a much larger amount than his mother thanks to his super metabolism. It was silent at first, with the only sound being the scraping of a fork against the plate. It was when Wally finished his 4th pancake when his mother started talking.

"So are you nervous for today?" She asked him. Wally arched his eyebrows.

"About taking the test?" He asked.

"Hmm, more so about the results. I mean, 1 out of every 20 people do end up developing the Perilmontary curse." She clarified. Wally smirked at his mother and gave her a playful look.

"Are you hinting at something here?" He said. His mother rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean it's very possible that someone close to you could turn out positive today." said his mother, "I'm not worried about you, and you shouldn't worry either. You're a superhero, for crying out loud, with the Batman around you at all times. If he doesn't suspect anything, then I have no need to panic."

"You're probably right. Oh great and mighty Bats always knows when he has a Perilient on his hands."

Batman was Wally's best friend, Robin's, mentor, and can tell if a Perilient is a mile away. The man can notice the slightest signs if someone has the curse. With him around, there wasn't really a reason for Wally to take the test.

The two finished their breakfast at around the same time. After he put his dishes in the dishwasher, Wally went to the bathroom located near the kitchen. He gave his teeth a quick brush, and made sure that his vibrant red hair wasn't sticking out like crazy anymore than usual. Then he walked out of the bathroom, and grabbed his backpack from his mother that was holding it out to him.

"Do you have a ride? I can drop you off if you want." She asked. Wally shook his head.

"I'm gonna walk with a few of my friends." answered Wally.

"Okay then, I'll see you after school sweetheart." She said and gave her son a kiss on his forehead.

As Wally walked out the door, he couldn't help but feel sorrowful as he thought of how few the amounts of parents could actually say that to their kids today, and know for sure it would come true.

* * *

"Hey Buzzkill, why the long face?" said Wally's friend, Jinx as everyone called her, when he caught up with them. Jinx was an odd girl, with hair died pink and always in pigtails and always wore gothic clothes, but had been his best friend since the day in chemistry.

Wally smiled inwardly as he thought back to that day. Jinx had just transferred to the school and Wally's chemistry teacher felt it best that he placed her with his top student so he could catch her up to speed. But during the experiment that day, she had managed to make the chemicals blow up. His teacher made them stay after class to clean it up, and the moment when Jinx broke the mop bucket just by filling it up with soap was when they became friends for life.

"Please tell me that you're not going to be depressed all day like every other kid in America." asked Wally's other best friend, Hartley Rathaway. Hartley was way more on the normal side, with normal red hair long enough to go in a ponytail and normal clothes. He and Wally had been friends since kindergarten, declaring that all red heads need to stick together. That theory was proven wrong in 5th grade when their past friend and fellow red head, Katie Reed, told them that she couldn't hang out with them because they were nerds.

"No man. This stupid test isn't going to bring me down." He said and smiled at his friends.

"This isn't just some stupid test, Wally. It determines whether we are cursed freaks or not!" Jinx said and laughed. Hartley grinned cheekily at her.

"I'm pretty sure you qualify as a cursed freak with _your _luck." He said, leaving the receiver's mouth hanging open. Wally burst out laughing while Jinx wacked the tallest boy on the shoulder.

"Not funny Hart. It's not my fault that I was born with rotten luck." She growled. While Hartley leaned away from the fuming girl, Wally made the mistake of letting a snicker slip. Jinx spun around, her hand fisted and ready to use it, but Wally ducked away, his hands up in a surrendering pose and repeatedly muttering 'I'm sorry'.

"You better be." She muttered and returned her arm to her side. The trio walked in silence for a little bit after that, exchanging playful glances at each other and making the occasional weird face at one another. But once the school was in sight, the glances and faces stopped, and reality set in. Though even though the three friends said that the test didn't bother them and joked around with the thing, it still frightened them like everyone else. If you were Perilient, whether you know it your not, then today would be your last. There's absolutely no way to cheat the test, or get out of it. Even if this was your 10th time to take the test like Wally and his friends. If you have the curse, then you are done for.

"What…what do you think the chances are?" Hartley asked in a quiet voice after a few moments of tense and uncomfortable silence. Wally looked at his friend with an inquiring look.

"Elaborate please." He said. Hartley did as told.

"What are the chances of us being one of…them?" He corrected. Wally took a moment to think about it.

"Well," He began, concentrating hard as he did the math in his head. It was moments like these he wished math came to him as easy as it did for his superhero friend, Robin. "There are about 1000 students in our high school, and statistically speaking one out of twenty will become Perilient, whether it's this year or 5 years from now. So that means that 5% of our school will become Perilient, so-"

"Wally, I know you're smart and all, but I'm a straight C- student and Hartley here only understands music, so please speak in simpler terms." Jinx interrupted. Hartley gave a lighthearted laugh at Jinx's comment, and Wally smiled sheepishly at them.

"Sorry," He muttered, "In other words, the chances are slim, but they're still there. It could be anyone."

And it really could be anyone. The Perilmontary curse is unpredictable and uncontrollable. Wally wasn't sure if the removal of any known Perilient would eventually stop the problem. All he did know was that about 50 kids in his school alone would one day turn up positive, and it could be one of his best friends.

* * *

Walking into the school, it was dead silent. If a pen were to drop on the opposite side of school, Wally would probably hear it. People stayed with their friends, but not a word was exchanged between them. It was like this every year though, even though you'd think most people would want to say goodbye to their friends, since this could be the last time they see them.

Wally felt something touch his hand, and looking down he saw Jinx slipping her pale fingers through his. On her other side, she was doing the same with Hartley. The three best friends squeezed each other's hands as they walked down the hall to where first block would be held.

On the way there, they had to pass through the hall where testings were being held. The testers had already arrived and were standing outside their assigned door with a clipboard in there hand. Kids whose last name started with A were already lining up, ready to get checked in. That would be all they did that day. Once they finished the test and they got a negative result, they would go home immediately and stay away from social contact outside your family. This was very stressful for friends, since you wouldn't know if someone close to you was positive until the very next day.

Wally managed to get a glimpse of the inside of the testing room as they past. From what he could see, there were two metal chairs, one for the student and one for the tester, and a desk in front of one chair. There seemed to be something on top of the desk, but Wally didn't get a good enough look at it.

It was much different from last years, Wally noted. Every year they change the test to even further ensure that no one can cheat. Last year, they had them answer questions while they were hooked up to a lie detection machine so no one could get away with lying. Then they did a quick, physical like test. The year before that, it was a blood test and compared it to samples of your blood when you were younger, to young to develop the Perilmontary curse.

Once the trio turned the corner and were out of that hallway, Wally let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding in. He felt jealous and relieved he had a W last name, which meant he'd be among the last to take the test. It meant he'd get to spend more time with people close to him today, but it also meant he had to wait for a very long time to get the results.

Wally and his friends were the last to walk into their History class. There were still a lot of kids in the class, almost everyone was there, but the two empty seats were very noticeable. It would only decline as the day went on. They'd go on the intercom, tell everyone with there last name starting with a certain letter to head to the testing hall, and then they'd leave. Those still around would go to their classes like normal until it was their letter called.

3 letters were called during the 50-minute class. The class sizes were visibly diminishing. By 4th period the class size was nearly cut in half. It was then that the Ls were called.

They had advanced chemistry during that period. Wally was closely watching Jinx pour a chemical into a beaker, making sure there was no possible way she could blow it up, when the intercom turned on.

"All students with the last name that starts with L please head to the testing hall." A voice said. Jinx paled, which some would say is hard since her skin is almost white, and the beaker went limp in her hand. Wally rushed forward to take hold of the chemical and beaker. It was then that he realized why she froze up. Her real name was Abby Longmore. It was her turn to go.

Wally stared at his friend, not quite sure what to say—if he should comfort her or cheer her on. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to do either. Jinx walked out of the room stiffly, leaving Wally to stand there watching her go.

He couldn't help but smile when the glass beaker shattered the moment she shut the door.

Hartley and Wally weren't in the same class when the Rs were called. It upset Wally even more knowing that he didn't get to say goodbye to either one of his friends. He could just picture Hartley sitting there, playing his favored flute, when the intercom would turn on. He could see how terrified he'd look as he slowly put away his instrument, and then leave his favorite class, possibly for good. It made the sickening feeling about taking the test grow.

It was the very last block of the day when they called his letter. It was English class, Wally's least favorite subject. Only two other students were in that class, a W and a Z. Even though there were only 3 students left, their annoying teacher, Mrs. Blackfern, still had them do school work. He was in the middle of drawing a question mark in another fill-in-the-black question when his letter was called.

"All Ws, please report to the testing hall now." The person said. At that very moment, for the first time in his entire life, Wally didn't want to leave English. A huge part of him wanted to cling onto the desk and refuse to move. But he knew he had no choice. Wally took a deep breath and made his was to the door. He closed his eyes as his fingers touched the handle. When he opened them again, a new determination burned within them. Though it was very faint, and Wally could barely tell it existed, it pushed him on telling him one thing.

He was ready.

**Just to clarify:**

**Jinx in this story isn't the exact same Jinx from Teen Titans. I just thought it be cool to have her play the part of a normal girl with very, very bad luck. As for the name, Abby Longmore, that is something I made up since I couldn't find Jinx's real name anywhere.**

**Hartley Rathaway is the Pied Piper in this story like he is in the comics. I've read some other stories where he and Wally are friends, and I liked the idea. The two have no idea that they are enemies in the hero/villain world. **


	2. Chapter 2: The Test

**Here is how I got the idea to called the cursed people, Perilients:**

**The word peril means something that causes or may cause injury, loss, or destruction, which is how the normal humans see the cursed. So, I changed it so it seemed like it was talking more about a person and invented the word Perilient. **

**The word perilmontary was something I invented on the spot when I was writing the first chapter. It has that special root word, peril, and montary just sounded cool at the end. **

**Now that's out of the way, please enjoy chapter two! Please tell me if you see a lot of grammar/spelling mistakes and I'll fix it!**

Though he'd never admit it out loud, Wally was terrified. He was terrified for his life. Terrified for his civilian friends' lives. Terrified for superhero friends' lives, especially his best friend, Robin, and his girlfriend, Artemis. Even though they probably had nothing to worry about, days like these were times to be fearful. The Perilient threat was not something to be taken lightly. When the curse first started developing back in the 1970s, more people died from the war with the Perilients than the two World Wars combined.

As he approached the testing hallway, that terror grew and grew until he was near the point of hyperventilating. In the back of his mind, he kept telling himself that as Kid Flash, a honorary hero, there was no way he could have the curse. It didn't really help, but it was enough to bring him to the front desk, where he'd be directed to his room.

"Wallace Rudolph West." He said, his voice cracking. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and gave a sheepish smile to the desk attendant. The woman just gave him an emotionless look as she wrote something down on her clipboard. Wally quickly lost the smile and looked down at his feet.

"Room 3." She said briskly. Wally mumbled a thank you and turned to find the room. It was in the middle, with two other rooms on either side. Standing outside was a man who looked to be in his early 20s, just outside of the age zone for catching the curse. He was typing on his tablet and seemed completely oblivious to the world around him. Wally awkwardly made his way over to the tester and stood there, waiting for the man to look up. He did not.

"Uh, excuse me?" Wally said in a quiet voice. The man glanced up.

"Wallace West?" He asked. Wally nodded.

"Right this way." The man said. He opened the door behind him and held it open for the boy. Wally nodded in thanks and walked into the room. The tester followed closely behind him. The sound of the door closing behind them echoed through the small room and Wally gulped. He stared at the scene in front of him. It looked like how he saw it earlier, with the two chairs, and desk. He found out that the object on the desk was some sort of computer. It also seemed like there weren't any signs of a struggle, so this room had probably so far been Perilient free.

"Please take a seat." The tester said. Wally did so quickly, and sat himself in the seat behind the desk. The tester walked up in front of him and pulled a bag with a small cloth in it out of his pocket. He held it out to Wally, who glanced at the bag confused, but grabbed it anyways.

"It's for a DNA confirmation test. We're making sure you are whom you say. Just prick your finger and put the blood on that cloth." The man clarified.

"What, did you have some identity problems last year?" Wally asked jokingly.

"Yes." The man answered seriously. Wally blinked in surprised, but then shrugged. It wasn't the craziest thing someone has done to get out of the test.

Wally opened up the bag pulled out the cloth. Tucked inside it was a small needle. He took the silver needle with his right hand and pricked his left index finger, wincing in pain as he did so. A small dot of red liquid formed on the tip of the finger, which made Wally sigh in relief. The red blood was a big sign that he wasn't cursed. Those with the curse have gold blood at first, and then it turns black once the darkness takes over. He quickly put the cloth to it before the blood could run down his finger. He held it there for a few moments before giving it back to the tester.

"Thanks kid." He said and took the cloth with his recently gloved hand. He held it underneath the tablet for a few seconds, before depositing it back into the plastic bag. Wally looked at the tablet in a newfound interest.

"A DNA scanner in the tablet?" He asked. He had only seen something like that once before, and he had also happened to know the person who invented it.

"And it says you are indeed Wallace West." answered the tester.

"I would hope so." said Wally with a large grin. The tester apparently didn't find that funny. He glanced up fro his tablet, his face completely unemotional. Wally cleared his voice awkwardly and looked down.

"Let's, uh, just take the test." He said. The tester nodded his head, placed the tablet down on the desk, and moved toward the computer. He hit the on button and the screen turned from completely black, to a blinding white.

"This is an extremely advanced situation simulator. You look into the screen and it will pull you into a seemingly real life situation. You will be faced with 3 tasks, and the goal is to complete them as quickly as possible. When you complete every task, you will snap out of the simulation. Your results will be sent to my tablet when you're done." The tester explained. Wally couldn't help but think back to the failsafe simulation, and resisted the urge to shudder. He gave a nod to the tester, telling him to start. The tester hit a few buttons on the machine and the screen began to swirl. Wally stared into it so intently he felt like he was going to be sick, his head feeling like it was spinning with the screen.

"Good luck, kid." Was all Wally heard before the world went dark.

* * *

He found himself standing in a room. It was completely made of mirrors. The walls, ceiling, and floor all held his reflection. He stared intently at the reflection in front of him, who just stared back. He lifted an arm, and watched as the reflection did the same. He moved his hand closer and closer to the mirror till he was no more than an inch away from the glass. The, in one fluid movement, he took a step forward and his hand connected with the glass.

What happened next wasn't what Wally expected. The moment his hand connected with the mirror, his reflection began glow and then blurred like crazy, as if it was him running back and forth at his top speed. The sight hurt his eyes and gave him a pounding headache just looking at it. It was brighter than the sun and the blurring made it worse. He subconsciously began to back away from the mirror in attempt to get away, only to have himself bump into another mirror. He whirled around at the touch and saw the same effect happen. He gasped in pain and covered his eyes, but somehow he could still see the mirrors through his palms. His head was killing him. It felt worse than getting mind blasted by a telepath.

The pain got to the point of where he could no longer stand up and collapsed on the ground. This seemed to set off a chain effect and the four remaining mirrors started to glow and blur. Wally wailed in pain as he curled himself into a ball on the floor, his head burrowed between his legs.

_There's got to be a way to stop this. _He thought. _The tester said that the simulator would give me tasks I have to complete. This task is probably finding a way out of the Reflection Room of Doom. _

With as much strength as he could muster, Wally opened his eyes to a squint and looked around the room for a possible exit. But the glow from the 6 reflections illuminated the room so much he couldn't see two feet in front of him. If there was a door handle on one of the mirrors, he wasn't going to find it. Not easily that is.

But he had to find it. He had to escape. So Wally began to crawl around with his eyes shut as tight as they would go to block out as much light as possible. He stuck his hands far out in front of him to feel around, but all he could feel was air. It seemed that no matter how much he could crawl, he'd never find the walls.

Taken over by a newfound frustration, Wally slammed his hands down on the floor as hard as he could. He regretted it immediately. There was the sound of something cracking and breaking just moments before the mirrors exploded and rained shards of glass everywhere, slicing Wally's skin. Though the cuts hurt extraordinarily bad, Wally couldn't help but notice that a burning pain was missing. The glowing blurs were gone. He got rid of them.

_In a very stupid way. _Wally added silently as he inspected the cuts that decorated his body. He didn't know where the frustration and irrationality that made him _punch a mirror _came from, but he was slightly grateful he did. At least the glowing blurs were gone and his head didn't feel like Superman was squeezing it anymore.

Wally looked up from his cuts and scanned his surroundings. Pieces of the mirrors covered the floor around him, but past that there was nothing. Just a completely black oblivion. He wouldn't have been able to tell there was even a floor if it weren't for the mirror shards showing that there was something there and not a hole.

He wasn't sure what to do next. There wasn't any sign for where he was supposed to go, or if he'd just suddenly appear in a new illusion. Unsure of what to do, Wally pulled himself to his feet and inched his way forward, pushing away glass with his shoe. When he reached the end of the shattered glass, he froze and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, reopened them, and placed one foot forward into the oblivion.

When his foot came in contact with the floor, his breath was released, and his body relaxed.

"This isn't so bad." He said, but spoke to soon. He took one more step forward and the floor disappeared from below him.

He screamed the entire time he fell. His limps flailed in the air around them. Wally wished he were facing forward so he knew when the impact would come. That way he could at least brace himself before he became the first speedster pancake.

Fortunately, when he hit the ground, it didn't hurt. He didn't splatter everywhere, or break every bone in his body. He did, however, get the wind knocked out of him, and his head got a good whack. Wally lied on the ground, gasping for breath. A hand went to his chest and he let out a relieved laugh.

Wally could have lied there forever, but a small light caught his eye. He lifted his head groggily looked in its direction and found himself in yet another simulation. He was lying on a stone path. From what he could see, the path split in two different directions. The one on the left was lighted and looked like a nice, logical path to take with lush green trees and colorful flowers. Even though he was about thirty feet from the path he could feel the sunlight warming up his skin.

The other path, however, was not as welcoming. It was dark, and had thorny bushes and tall dead trees with braches that stuck out like claws in it. A thick fog covered the ground and made it impossible to see the stone path go into it.

_Choose. _A voice that was defiantly not his own told him. The correct choice seemed blatantly obvious. The lighted path was a much better path to take than the dark and creepy one. But he was still hesitant to go. He already had enough bad experiences with light for one simulation. He wasn't in the mood to go through another.

_Go with the dark one! _A part of him yelled. Wally quickly pushed away the voice. Even though the light had caused him great pain earlier, the dark path looked just as threatening. In there he wouldn't be able to see anything, so he'd be very vulnerable.

_Choose!_ The voice demanded again. Wally looked back and forth between his two options. He'd need to pick right away, for the little voice in his head wasn't very happy with him.

_Just go with the lighted one!_ He argued with himself, but the voice that told him to do the other path wouldn't allow him to. Frustrated and torn with himself, Wally closed his eyes and started walking, hoping his subconscious would pick correctly.

When he opened his eyes again, he found complete darkness. He could barely see the outline of a jagged tree only a few feet in front of himself. The fog felt cold around his ankles and sent a shiver up his back.

"Great going subconscious." Wally muttered out loud. He turned around, hoping that he'd be able to take back him decision, but all he found was complete darkness, like he had been walking this path for hours. There was no undoing his decision. Sighing, Wally turned back around and started on the path, his hands stuck out in front to keep him from running face first into something.

After about a minute or two of walking, Wally heard the sound of a twig snapping. At first, he thought it was himself, but than quickly realized that the only thing underneath his feet was stone, and the sound came from behind him. He spun around and saw a pair of glowing eyes about 10 feet away from him.

_Again with the glowing! This is why light is bad._ Yelled the annoying part of him that made him choose this cursed path. Wally ignored it and took a step back, away from the creature in front of him. It growled when it saw him move, and Wally gulped loudly. He took one more step backwards before turning around and running for his life.

The monster let out a might roar and charged after him. Wally noticed that the monster was gaining on him and wished that he still had his super speed during the simulation. There was no way the monster stood a chance if he did. He ran and ran, stumbling over branches and stones. Then his foot got caught underneath a rock, and he went tumbling to the ground. The cold stone tore away the skin on his hands and knees. He knelt there, gasping for air, and could feel the thundering footsteps of the monster vibrate the ground. The closer the creature got, the more powerful these vibrations became. Wally knew that he lost his head start thanks to the fall, and there was no way he could escape the monster if he tried to start running again. So he did the next best thing. He moved his hands around the ground in search something to use as a weapon. His hand bumped into a broken tree branch and quickly he wrapped his fingers around it. He waited until the right moment when the vibrations were loud enough, then closed his eyes and swung at the creature.

He expected to feel it make contact, but no such thing happened. All his stick whacked was air. Confused, he opened his eyes to see what happened and was shocked to find a light greet them. Wally looked around. There was no creepy forest, no glowing eyed monster, and no branch in his hand. Instead, he was on the top a skyscraper, with multiple other skyscrapers around him. He gapped at the scene around him. He was on a ledge that stuck out about 6 feet, and was about 70 stories above the ground. Below him he could see what sounded like morning traffic, with car horns blaring every other second.

Wally backed away from the edge as far as he could go and took a deep breath. He was unclear what this task was supposed to be, but he had a feeling it had to do with getting down, which seemed virtually impossible. There weren't any doors or windows that Wally could get inside through, or ladder of some sort. It seemed like the only solution was to jump.

_You'll be okay if you do. It's only a simulation._ Though Wally knew that even though it was a simulation, jumping wasn't a smart thing to do. He felt pain in the simulation, and the pain of falling 70 stories wasn't something he'd want to experience. There had to be another way out.

Then Wally saw it. On his left was a wire leading from the ledge he was on to the one of the nearby skyscrapers. Walking across it seemed like a foolish thing to do, but it seemed better than jumping. It seemed like the best option present.

So Wally inched towards the wire, slowing down the closer he got. He stopped when he was a good foot away from the edge. He involuntarily glanced down for a moment, and felt like his stomach was jumping around. The ground seemed to get a lot farther away the longer he looked and suddenly he found it hard to breath. He took a few steps away from the rim and leaned against the wall of the skyscraper, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Just a one way drop to certain death." He muttered. His breathing was heavy and uncontrolled, and he felt sick. He wanted to curl into a ball and stay there, but he knew that wasn't an option. The sooner he completed the stupid task, the better. So, mustering every ounce of strength he had, Wally opened his eyes and scooted back over to the edge.

His hands were shaking like a maniac as he stuck out one foot and placed it on the wire. It wobbled on the metal rope, and Wally thought for a second that this wouldn't work. Put then it found its balance and stopped moving. He almost cried in relief when it happened. But he held himself together and put the other foot on the wire. It found its balance at a much quicker pace.

Then came the tricky part. Walking. He held his arms out parallel to the ground and slowly took a step. Then another. Then another. Before Wally knew it he was halfway across the wire and the other side seemed closer than ever. He laughed in relief. He might actual do this!

He spoke too soon though. As if on queue, a huge wind came roaring in. It caught itself in Wally's clothes and knocked him completely off balance. His arms flapped around in circles in attempt to regain balance and panic raced through his veins. His footing betrayed him and he forced to take a step backwards, but found nothing there. With a small yelp he fell off the wire, his arms flapping in every direction.

Though apparently, today was his lucky day. Because of his flapping arms, a hand managed come into contact with a wire. With lightning fast reflexes, he latched onto the wire. His body weight almost made him loose his grip. He held on for dear life, his other arm dangling by his side. He could feel the metal digging into his skin and began to draw blood.

Wally gritted his teeth and tried with all his strength to launch the other hand up on the wire, but it didn't reach it. The wire dug even deeper into his palm and he cried out in pain. The blood increased and covered his hand, making it harder and harder to hold on. His grip was slipping. He was going to fall.

Only moments later he did.

* * *

For a split second after he woke up, Wally forgot everything. He forgot who he was, or where he was. He didn't remember why he was here, or how he got there. The only thing he could remember was he was about to die. He was falling to his death, and then he was sitting in a strange room, with a strange man standing beside him.

Wally sucked in a deep, breath, released it, and inhaled again. He did this over and over to the point where he was hyperventilating. The strange man beside him looked up from the tablet he was holding at the noise. He saw Wally panicking and placed his tablet down and held out his hands. Wally glanced at the strange man and saw him inching toward him. His eyes widened and he froze in his seat. Then the strange man reached his hand out towards Wally, and the boy shrunk as far away from his touch as he could. The man's hand withdrew a few inches and hovered there. He looked at the young boy with concern, who was currently shaking in his seat. He moved his hand forward again, and Wally tried to move away again, but found he had no room left. The strange man placed a large hand on his arm, and Wally was surprised by how gentle the gesture was. His shaking decreased and he eyed the hand with a curious expression on his face.

"Hey, Wallace, it's just me. The simulation is over. You completed it." He said in a quiet, calm voice. Wally's eyes drifted to the man's face and he studied it, trying to see if he could remember it and make sense of where he was. He focused hard and racked his brain for something.

Suddenly, it all came back to him at once. That the man was a tester, that the falling was a just a part of a test, he was here to see if he had the Perilmontary curse, and everything was okay. There was no need panic. His body relaxed greatly and he let out a sigh in relief.

"You good?" asked the tester.

"Yeah, I'm good." replied Wally.

The tester nodded and removed his hand from Wally's arm. He took a step back and picked up his tablet again. He tapped the screen a few times, and the whole time Wally watched the tester's face for any reaction. At first, it just remained impassive, with no emotion show. To a blind eye, it would seem that's how it stayed. But Wally saw something flicker in his eyes for a spilt second. Almost like he was shocked or panicked, maybe even scared. Though it disappeared to soon for Wally to be sure.

The tester then lowered his tablet to his side and turned to leave. He walked out of the room quickly, his footsteps quiet and brisk. Wally watched as he opened the door and waited until it closed behind him before he started to panic.

Wally jumped out of the seat and began to pace, his mind going a million miles per hour. Nothing made sense. This test, his actions, the tester's reactions, all of it confused him. Earlier today, he was so sure of himself, so confidante that everything was going to be fine. Now, he wasn't so sure. Whatever that flicker in the tester's eyes was, it meant something, and it probably wasn't a good thing.

He sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed like everything that could go wrong was happening. If the flicker in his eyes meant his results were positive, then he had the curse. And if he had the curse, then when the tester comes back, he won't be alone. He'll have a whole PRCU squad with him, and his own father would be among them. Wally could already picture his father standing there, covered in black protective gear and a gun aimed at his own son's chest. Wally wondered if he'd hesitate, or show any emotion for that matter. Or would he see his own son just another threat in need of removing.

_Or you could be overreacting. _He told himself. The flicker in the tester's eyes probably didn't mean anything. And if it did, he had no idea what emotion it was portraying. It could have been relief or happiness for all he knew.

The sound of a door opening caused Wally to stop debating and turn. He watch in horror as the door was slowly pushed open, and he found his breathing quickening. His whole body tensed up as if he were preparing to fight, which Wally had no intention of doing in real life. Time seemed to slow down and it seemed like he would never find out who was behind the door.

Suddenly, a hand appeared, which was followed by a leg, and then a whole body. Wally nearly fainted in relief to find the man before him was the tester, and not a PRCU officer about to attack him. The tester closed the door quietly behind him. He took long strides over in Wally's direction.

"Sit down." He ordered. Wally frowned. Usually the tester tells the person to leave after they come back. Though he did as he was told and took a seat in the chair again. The tester walked past him, grabbed another chair and dragged it so it was in front of Wally. He sat down in the chair and stared at Wally, his eyes scanning him like they were looking for something specific. It made Wally feel very uncomfortable.

"Is, uh, everything alright?" He asked, clearing his throat as he talked. The tester's eyes shot up to Wally's face and they narrowed slightly.

"What happened in the simulation?" He asked in a rough, husky voice.

"What do you mean?" stuttered Wally.

"I mean," the tester said while leaning in a little closer and his voice got a little darker. "What did you do when a task was presented to you?"

Now Wally was starting to panic. He nervously ran his tongue over his lips and looked the tester in the eye, trying to see if he could get an idea of where this was going. He couldn't.

"I don't see why this is relevant." Wally said. The tester did not look pleased that Wally was avoiding the question.

"Just tell me." He growled. A dangerous glow emulated from the tester's eyes. Wally gulped and finally complied.

"Well, first I was in some room made completely out of mirrors, and when I touched the mirrors, something strange happened. I can't really explain it, but it was bright and it hurt. I had to escape, but I couldn't find an exit. Then, just when the pain was becoming unbearable, something took over me and the next thing I knew I was smashing the mirrors with my bear hands." Wally answered with a shaky voice. The tester watched very closely the whole time he talked. His eye seemed to twitch when he got to the end part.

"Something took over you." He repeated. It wasn't a question though; it was more so clarifying what he heard. Wally nodded slowly and stared at his hands. He could still picture the cuts he received from doing it. The slices caused by millions of pieces of glass.

"It happened again, too. During the second task, I was given two pathways that I had to choose from. A pretty, lighted one, and a scary, dark one. And when I wasn't sure which one I should choose, it chose the dark one for me.

"Then, during the third task, I had to get down from a skyscraper. And a voice told me to _jump_. I didn't listen to it, but I almost wanted to. I almost listened to a suicidal voice telling me to jump off 70 story buildings." Wally took a deep, shaky breath and closed his eyes. Tears threatened to spill out, but he didn't let them. It'd be too big of a sign of weakness.

Wally waited for the tester to say something, to ask a question or tell him to explain more, but the man remained silent. He just sat in his chair watched the young boy with pity. Wally shook his head. No way was he going to be pitied by some stranger. He snapped his head up and met his eyes with the tester.

"What does this have to do with anything? You have my results. Shouldn't that tell you enough?" Wally snapped, "Look, I just want to go home. I finished the test and you told the Perilient catchers my result, so can I leave?"

The tester still didn't respond and proceeded to study Wally like he was some strange new specimen. Frustrated, Wally jumped out of his seat and made his way to the door. He was facing the door handle when someone grabbed his elbow and pulled him back. Wally whirled around and found himself inches away from the tester. He glared at the man and jerked his arm away.

"What?" He spat. The tester opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at his floor.

"Wallace." The tester said in a hoarse voice. "I told the PCRU that your result was negative."

There was a moment of silence in between them as both of them waited for the other to react. Wally just arched his eyebrows, not quite understanding what point the tester was trying to get across.

"…So what?" He asked. The tester slowly lifted his head and looked into Wally's eyes. The two stayed like that, saying nothing and just trying to understand the other. Green eyes clashed with brown as the two studied each other in complete silence. It would have been awkward if it weren't for the fact that the two of them were to busy and confused to comprehend the situation. At last, the tester opened his mouth, and spoke the words every person fears.

"Wallace, your test results came back positive." He said, "You're Perilient."


End file.
